All About Pocket Knives

Cumbres and Toltec narrow gauge steam snowblower, OY.

Saw this old GG-1 photo on Twitter, from Philly back in the PRR Passenger service days. If you're amazed about all of the wooden cross ties and rail, think about the wiring needed for an electrified railroad.

Wow lots of wiring indeed!

1967redrider wrote: ↑Thu Feb 10, 2022 2:29 am Saw this old GG-1 photo on Twitter, from Philly back in the PRR Passenger service days. If you're amazed about all of the wooden cross ties and rail, think about the wiring needed for an electrified railroad.

Good post, John. Coincidentally, I had just been researching a little on Illinois Central electric commuter trains in Chicago back in the day.

My dad and I started building this about 38 years ago. It started with a 4x8 piece if plywood and I building buildings out of Legos. Then we build the farm buildings out of wood. Then he bought a train set and buil the logging and wood mill area then the mining. Now he is building the town. Everything he has built himself. It's pretty cool to mess with when I go visit.

Thanks, Ike, and keep us posted on your research. We have an Illinois Central F3 A-B, 2 Rock Island steamers and I recently picked up that DT&I switcher for the layout.


That's an impressive layout, ESPN. Looks like HO?

espn77 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 10, 2022 4:59 pm My dad and I started building this about 38 years ago. It started with a 4x8 piece if plywood and I building buildings out of Legos. Then we build the farm buildings out of wood. Then he bought a train set and buil the logging and wood mill area then the mining. Now he is building the town. Everything he has built himself. It's pretty cool to mess with when I go visit.

Impressive

espn77 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 10, 2022 4:59 pm My dad and I started building this about 38 years ago. It started with a 4x8 piece if plywood and I building buildings out of Legos. Then we build the farm buildings out of wood. Then he bought a train set and buil the logging and wood mill area then the mining. Now he is building the town. Everything he has built himself. It's pretty cool to mess with when I go visit.

Great set up, but more importantly, great work. The fact that he has built everything from scratch. Fantastic.

1967redrider wrote: ↑Thu Feb 10, 2022 2:29 am Saw this old GG-1 photo on Twitter, from Philly back in the PRR Passenger service days. If you're amazed about all of the wooden cross ties and rail, think about the wiring needed for an electrified railroad.

Where i live, our whole metropolitan rail system is electric. We are talking 100's of miles of overhead wiring and then all the signalling.

espn77 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 10, 2022 4:59 pm My dad and I started building this about 38 years ago. It started with a 4x8 piece if plywood and I building buildings out of Legos. Then we build the farm buildings out of wood. Then he bought a train set and buil the logging and wood mill area then the mining. Now he is building the town. Everything he has built himself. It's pretty cool to mess with when I go visit.

That is pretty awesome, Keith, great that it is an ongoing, joint project. Is there a 3rd generation involved?

Empty coal train.

Thanks everyone for the comments. It is a HO train. I only have a daughter, she thinks it's cool but probably not interested. I'll get it when the time comes. It's just good memories. The farm is a "to scale" model of the my dad's family farm in Minnesota. And the town is being built like the elevator town that was close by.

DM11 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 11, 2022 3:37 am Empty coal train.

Nice picture, David. Wow! 5 locos

There has been a Union Pacific maintenance crew doing work around my area the last few days. I struggled to get photos, never could get a good vantage point without trespassing.

Very cool, Ike.

Ike it had five on the front and two on the end. Seven altogether. It was a rather long empty coal train.

Nice pics Ike!

Ike, extra fine shots yesterday. Thanks.

Ike, extra fine shots yesterday. Thanks.

I caught a little more action along the Mississippi today, a couple of UP intermodal and a UP coal train. I also threw in a BONUS pic of barges being pushed upriver!

Awesome, Ike. Looks like a decent day too. It was in the 60's here the last two days, snow expected tomorrow.

Ike

BNSF DS blazing through.

BNSF manifest pulling in to the depot for a crew change.

DM11 wrote: ↑Sun Feb 13, 2022 11:14 pm BNSF manifest pulling in to the depot for a crew change.

I miss that paint scheme on the 4167, I liked the clean look of the new one when it came out, but prefer the older. It still has a little of the old warbonnet look. Thanks for pics.

Edit: just watched a couple of Warbonnet videos while finishing my coffee in the parking lot at work. That is a good way to start the work week! Thanks for the inspiration, David!

Waukonda wrote: ↑Mon Feb 14, 2022 11:15 am

DM11 wrote: ↑Sun Feb 13, 2022 11:14 pm BNSF manifest pulling in to the depot for a crew change.

I miss that paint scheme on the 4167, I liked the clean look of the new one when it came out, but prefer the older. It still has a little of the old warbonnet look. Thanks for pics.

Edit: just watched a couple of Warbonnet videos while finishing my coffee in the parking lot at work. That is a good way to start the work week! Thanks for the inspiration, David!

Your welcome Ike!

Nice shots, David.


I went in on a little Lionel train project over the weekend, I hope this turns out well. Not sure if I'm going to stick with silver or convert to the standard U.P. yellow, which I'm really leaning toward since that's more in line with the decal kit. From Ike's pictures above, it looks like U.P. yellow is close to Caterpillar yellow, maybe just a smidge brighter. Could be a month or longer project depending on the weather, since I'll need to spray paint outdoors when it's above 55°.